Best Baseball Player --- Ever
- Thread starter 57Brave
- Start date
57Brave
Well-known member
Drysdale used to tell this story about Mantle. Early in his career there was a Spring game vs the dodgers and Drysdale felt real good getting Mantle to look bad getting to 2 strike count. Mantle layed down a 2 strike drag bunt and beat it out for a hit. Drysdale said the next time up first pitch was aimed at Mantles ear. Next pitch Mickey laid down another drag bunt and, beat it out too. Story has it they were both laughing so hard ...
bravesnumberone
Well-known member
Ruth. Before he was such a feared hitter, he was damn good pitcher too.
Of my lifetime, I'd have to go Griffey. If he had stayed healthy, a lot more people would agree.
Of my lifetime, I'd have to go Griffey. If he had stayed healthy, a lot more people would agree.
zitothebrave
Connoisseur of Minors
He'd also be facing the slider, the splitter, and would be facing black players and hispanic players.
You can argue for or against many factors from era to era. That's why I use WAR to compare them cause more or less WAR compares a player to his contemporaries.
You can spit out any stat you want. No player ever exceeded his contemporaries like Ruth did.
Exercising and taking care of yourself became a new thing after he retired I guess.
Stick some steroids in his ass and he would have died even sooner.
zitothebrave
Connoisseur of Minors
He's my pick if you check back a page or 2. BUT I have to say, you can talk up or down any player. So I think anyone can argue a right answer to this question.
For example, what would have happened if Teddy Ballgame didn't serve in WWII and Korea? He had a massive streak of 11 WAR seasons that were broken up by WWII. If he had let's just say another 40 WAR because of time missed in WWII and about 2 years missed from Korea He'd be right there with the Babe, what if Mantle took care of himself instead of drinking, smoking, etc.?
Could go on but I thik the best ever debate is highly debatable which makes it fun.
AUTiger7222
Called Up to the Major Leagues
The best baseball player I ever got to see with my own 2 eyes was the Seattle version of Ken Griffey Jr. There was nothing he couldn't do on the field.
AUTiger7222
Called Up to the Major Leagues
Warren Spahn would have easily won 400 games had it not been for missing time due to war service.
Being a better athlete doesn't make you a better hitter (see Francoeur, Jeffrey and Fielder, Prince)
The Babe had great eyes, one of the main reasons he was such a great hitter. There are stories that someone could write something on a ball, pitch it to him, and after he hit it, he'd tell you what you wrote on the ball.
And notion that they played "slow pitch softball" is silly as well. Pitchers also threw spitballs and scuffed balls with their finger nails, etc. They played with inferior equipment, in parks that were WAY bigger, and not very well lit in evening games.
Watching Bonds hit the last few yeears steroids or not was extraordinary. His judgement of the strikezone was masterful. It was almost impossible to strike him out looking because even he didn't offer the umpire even gave him the benefit of the doubt it wasn't a strike.
As far as best ever, it's the Babe and it's not close. He could have been the best pitcher of all time had he just pitched his entire career. People seem to only remember the fat out-of-shape Ruth from his later yrs, but for much of his career he was in relatively good shape.
I will say that I believe Teddy Ballgame to be the best overall hitter of all time though. Mantle is obviously up there among the best all around players ever. Henry Aaron doesn't get enough love on this list either.
Bonds doesn't belong on these lists. Pretty much everrything he did after 96 is a direct product of Roids. He beefed up like 30 lbs in a 3 month span, then saw his numbers have a HUGE spike.
I will say that I believe Teddy Ballgame to be the best overall hitter of all time though. Mantle is obviously up there among the best all around players ever. Henry Aaron doesn't get enough love on this list either.
Bonds doesn't belong on these lists. Pretty much everrything he did after 96 is a direct product of Roids. He beefed up like 30 lbs in a 3 month span, then saw his numbers have a HUGE spike.
acesfull86
Well-known member
(David Wright then) Ruth or Bonds, then Mays, for me.
zitothebrave
Connoisseur of Minors
Here's my question to all the bonds didn't deserve it folks, how can you prove than any player Bonds played against was clean? How can you prove that players back in the day were clean? Anabolic steroids were first used in athletics back in Nazi Germany, obviously they refined the use over the years but who's to say that any player didn't have something they were using? What about guys in the 60s and 70s who used amphetamines to get out there and play everyday. Why do they get a pass for using a performance enhancing drug?
Bonds was on his way to having a 500/500 career, you know how many players did that in their career before him? None. He was a rare specimen of a player, and him taking Steroids took him from the best player of our era to the best player ever.
Bonds was on his way to having a 500/500 career, you know how many players did that in their career before him? None. He was a rare specimen of a player, and him taking Steroids took him from the best player of our era to the best player ever.
sturg33
I
I think Bonds is the best player of all time.
I don't think Ruth would have been as successful facing the LOOGYs of today. Still a monster - but I think his number would have taken a hit.
Also, Bonds on roids is the best hitter ever. Bonds pre-roids was a top 3 player of all time (hitting, defense, base running). His OBP abilities were unbelievable. And half the pitchers he faced were roided up. And half the league was roided up. And he was in a league of his own.
Best pitcher of all time? Greg Maddux. Dude dominated the steroid era like it was nothing, and was very likely clean (unlike Clemens). Most dominant pitcher ever? Pedro Martinez - just couldn't stay healthy like Maddux though.
I don't think Ruth would have been as successful facing the LOOGYs of today. Still a monster - but I think his number would have taken a hit.
Also, Bonds on roids is the best hitter ever. Bonds pre-roids was a top 3 player of all time (hitting, defense, base running). His OBP abilities were unbelievable. And half the pitchers he faced were roided up. And half the league was roided up. And he was in a league of his own.
Best pitcher of all time? Greg Maddux. Dude dominated the steroid era like it was nothing, and was very likely clean (unlike Clemens). Most dominant pitcher ever? Pedro Martinez - just couldn't stay healthy like Maddux though.
weso1
<B>Clique Leader</B>
I think some people don't realize that Bonds was pretty much like that throughout his whole career. Since 1990 Bonds' lowest OBP was .406
Obviously things got almost silly at the end of his career OBP wise, but even if you normalize it, you're still talking about the best offensive player since Ruth/Williams. It's hard to compare eras.